Shoe drive extended

There’s still time for folks to rid themselves of their unwanted shoes and help the Leonard Elementary PTO earn some extra cash.

The shoe drive being conducted in conjunction with Funds2Orgs has been extended to Saturday, March 3.

So far, the response has been great, according to PTO Treasurer Jade Kindermann.

“I think we’re at about 1,600 (pairs),” she said. “I don’t have an official count because I ran out of bags. I have a ton of shoes in my basement that aren’t sorted yet.”

Funds2Orgs is a for-profit social enterprise company that partners with nonprofits, schools, churches, civic groups, businesses and others to plan and implement fund-raising campaigns. The organization provides economic opportunities for people in developing nations to sell repurposed shoes and helps the environment by preventing unneeded shoes from being dumped in landfills.

Funds2Orgs will pay Leonard’s PTO based on the total weight of the shoes it collects. The PTO will receive 40 cents per pound. Every 25 pairs yields about $10.

The PTO’s goal is to collect 2,500 pairs, which would net $1,000 for the school.

“(The shoes are) really starting to funnel in now,” Kindermann said. “I was a little concerned in the beginning (about meeting the goal), but it’s definitely picked up. I think we have a good chance of making it.”

CJ Carnacchio is editor for The Oxford Leader. He lives in the Village of Oxford with his wife Connie and daughter Larissa. When he's not busy working on the newspaper, he enjoys cigars/pipes, Martinis/Scotch, hunting and fishing.